It’s true, and not just for Americans or Canadians, so many people in the world throw their whole selves into their work and come out exhausted. There have been weeks where I have put so much pressure upon myself at work that I spend the whole week wishing for the weekend. Then, when the weekend comes and I stop to think about my life, I feel like it’s all rushed by and that I’ve missed out on so much.
I recently returned to Canada for a few weeks during the holidays with my friends and family, and found myself defending a lot of what I had been doing in London for the past four months. It seemed that many people had expected me to have seen all of England and ventured into other European countries…. the truth was I had spent the four months working (and enjoying the experience of an entirely new type of teaching) and hanging out in London on the weekends. Sure, I had made a quick trip to Scotland, but this (so far) had been the extent of my great year abroad. After defending my lifestyle I decided to reflect on my own feelings and experiences in the past four months. I’ve had the adventure of a lifetime! Not only have I experienced a new culture I have truly lived a British lifestyle: from touring landmarks, exploring the Southbank, tackling busy markets, taking in live musical theatre, to holding down a job and lounging in front of terrible British tele programs. On paper it doesn’t look like a lot, but in my heart I know that what I have experienced is more than I could have imagined.
Now, this ideology may also be the influence of watching Eat, Pray, Love twice in 24 hours, but those who know me well, know that much of the movie follows closely with my own beliefs and lifestyle. I believe there is a balance in absolutely everything. My desire to see the world should not unbalance my joy in the small things. I could spend every weekend jet-setting to different foreign lands, but it would be exhausting, and I would miss the great things that are right in front of me every day. You could say this was probably the great gift I was given this Christmas…. realizing that the things I’ve had all along–family, friends, even a Canadian identity–are just as rewarding and fulfilling as being in half a dozen different countries in one year. Yes, the world is absolutely worthy of exploring, but so are the relationships that have withstood for years and the nation that made me the person I am.
Dolce far niente…. some times we just have to take time to enjoy doing absolutely nothing; to soak in a moment in which we just let ourselves be.
Now, as an educator, this made me reflect on the systems in place in schools. We spend the entire day telling our students they need to be doing something…. do your assignment, sit straight in your desk, go for lunch, do your homework tonight, but we never give them credit for being the person they are. Obviously, we can’t grade them on being themselves, but we can allow them time to relax and partake in activities that make them “themselves”. For example, even the simple practice of letting them relaxing and read a book of their choice for at least ten minutes each class can be very therapeutic. It allows them some quiet time, which is helpful for those who have strains in their life, it allows them thinking time, and it validates them as a reader when they can choose a book all on their own. Even more, if the teacher can embark on a conversation over that book, they are once again validated in their opinions and reading. This works for writing as well, although every student’s writing may not be your own cup-of-tea, it is a way of them expressing themselves, and they should not be penalized for that. It’s certainly beneficial to them to be able to put their own ideas down on paper, even if it will never be marked.
The joy of doing nothing…. so next time you feel guilty for sitting in front of the television without a handful of work to do, or you let your students have some silent reading of their choice for a period, think about how it contributes to life’s balance, because that is certainly more important than looking good on paper.
